More Than a Dozen Homes Damaged in Twister

By Courtney Hayes&nbsp|&nbsp

Posted: Fri 10:07 PM, Apr 30, 2004&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Sun 8:42 PM, May 02, 2004

Three families are homeless after Thursday night's storm destroyed their homes. Emergency Operation Center officials say they received more than ten calls from local people whose homes were damaged in some way.

Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries, but instead a huge mess to clean up.

"Whatever it was, we could hear trees snapping and stuff flying. It is just a disaster," says Defuniak Springs resident, Dara Dobson.

It was a small tornado that ripped through Dara Dobson's home off of County Road 1-92 just north of Defuniak Springs shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday night. The twister managed to completely destroy all three of her vehicles.

But Dara seemed less upset about her totaled cars than about all the history that was lost in the storm.

"The holly in our front yard us is 65 years old. We have a shed that was built at the turn of the century that was destroyed. We lost part of a chimney created in the late 1800s," says Dobson.

Dara was one of the lucky ones. One Defuniak Springs family is homeless after lightning struck their home, burning it to the ground. Volunteers with the Red Cross were surveying the area late Friday afternoon.

"We located people who had damage to their houses and give them food, clothes and a place to stay for three days," says Red Cross volunteer, Tim Grimmer.

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